Ration



0. LANDRY.

FEELER FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.18, 1918.

1,319,777. Patented Oct. 28,1919.

Fig. 3. y

|I|IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL L lnvenTor. Onesime Landry M W1 W AITys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

omsmn nammv, on NEW nnnronn, MASSACHUSETTS, nssrenon TO nmnn conro- RATION, or HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or MAINE.

FEELER FOR LOOMS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ONESIME LANDRY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of New Bedford, in the county of Bristol, State 6 of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Feelers for Looms, of which the fol-, lowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is. a specification,

like characters on the drawing representing 10 like parts.

This'invention relates to improvements in feeler mechanism for looms and the object thereof is to provide a novel and effective feeler.

The present construction contemplates the provision of a feeler comprising pivotally connected members, one of which is adapted to enter the shuttle and engage the filling mass upon the filling carrier and the other to engage the wall of the shuttl'e'or some other member, as the shuttle box, having a fixed relation to the axis of the filling carrier in the shuttle,'one of said feeler mem-' bers havin an extended curved surface adapted to eengaged and actuated upon a predetermined depletion of the filling upon the filling carrier to rock said member about its pfiot and thereby to position said memher in such manner that upon further beat- 80 up of the lay said member will actuate means for effecting a change in the operation of the loom such as filling replenishment or the stoppage of the loom.

More specifically the present invention comprises a horizontally movable lever pivotally mounted upon a feeler slide of the character above referred to, said lever having an ofiset extended curved end ada ted to engage the wall of the shuttle or o the 40 shuttle box upon depletion of the filling upon the filling carrier to a predetermined extent and when rocked by such engagement to position its opposite end in the path of the transmitter so that as the feeler slide is forced backwardly upon the beat-up of the lay the transmitter will be actuated to effect a change in the operation of the loom.

By reason of this construction any improper positioning of the lever by the shock caused by the beating-up of the lay is avoided and great accuracy in operation is attained. Furthermore the curved end ofsaid lever which engages the shuttle or shuttle box has a rocking or sliding engagement Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 18, 1918. Serial No. 212,432. g

therewith which does not wear the shuttle or the shuttle box which it. engages. The

feeler mechanism comprising my invention is of simple and inexpensive construction and very effective in operation. Other objects and features of the invention Wlll more fully appear from the followng description and the accompanying drawings and W111 be pointed out in the annexed claims. a

In the drawings:

c I n l I Figure .1 1s a plan view of portions of a loom illustrating my invention applied 1 thereto,

Eig. is an enlarged plan view of the mechanism and the slide by which it is carr1ed,-and,

Fig. 3 is a side and sectional elevation of the feeler mechanism illustrating the same in the act of engaging the wall of the shuttle and the filling upon the filling carrier withm the same, sald shuttle and filling carrier bemg shown in section.

The drawings illustrate portions of a loom of the Northrop type comprising the usual lay l havlng a raceway 2 with shuttle boxes 3 and t at the opposite ends thereof,

a breast beam 5 having a stand 6 carrying the usual hopper or battery and a transferrer,

'7 which is governed by a controller shaft 8 having alatch 9 adapted to be positioned by the feeler mechanism in the path of a mov mg actuator such as the weft hammer 10. The breast beam 5 also carries the usual knock-off lever 11 which is adapted to actuate the shipper 12. As illustrated herein the knock-ofi lever is so constructed as to be arranged to be positioned in the path of the actuator 10 by. a transmitter 14 which is pivotally mounted at about its center upon a stud- 15 carried by a suitable stand-secured to the breast beam. One end of the transmitter 14 extends beneath the latch 9, while its opposite end is provided with an offset portion 16 containing the usual cam slot wh1ch embraces the end portion of a transinto a recess in the stand which supports the feeler slide. The parts above described may be and as illustrated are of a usual construction. I

The improved feeler mechanism comprlses a rectangular box-like stand 19 having an integral extension 20 provided with a slot 21 29 which extends between the arms 25, 26-

of said slide to complete the bearings 27. The outer end 30 of said slide is enlarged and is broadened and is adapted to enter a slot 31 in the side of the shuttle 32 and to feel upon the filling 33 upon the filling carrier 34, as illustrated in Fig. 3. A cross piece connects the ends of the arms 25 and 26 and at its central portion has a cylindrical stem 36 which is slidably mounted in a bearing 37 at the front end of the feeler stand. A helical spring 38 surrounding the stem 36 and bearing at one end against the front wall of the stand and at its opposite end against the bar 35 tends normally to maintain the feeler slide in the extended position illustrated in Fig. 3.

The relatively movable member which is adapted upon predetermined depletlon of the filling on the filling carrier to set in operation the mechanism which causes a change in the operation of the loom, which is disclosed herein, comprises a lever 39 having an offset end 40 provided with an extended curved, preferably arcuatesurface 41 adapted to engage the wall of the shuttle or of the shuttle box and a preferably straight end portion 42 adapted to be positioned upon such engagement to engage the end of the transmitter operating lever 17 as the feeler slide is forced forward upon the beat up of the lay. The lever 39 desirably is mounted upon an adjustable pivot so that the position of the curved engaging surface 41 relatively to the end of the feeler slide may be adjusted.

In the construction illustrated herein a bridge piece 43 secured to or preferably formed integral with the slide 23 bridges the slot 24 and is itself provided with a longitudinal slot 44. A headed screw 45 passes through this slot and is engaged by a nut 46 having a downwardly extending cylindrical boss 47 which passes through and fits a circular aperture 48 in the lever 39 and provides a pivotal bearing for said lever. By loosening the nut 46 the headed screw 45 may be adjusted longitudinally of the feeler of upwardl slide 25, so as to position the curved or arcu-' ate surface 41 of the lever 39 toward or from the end of the feeler slideas may be desired.

The bridge piece 43 preferably has a lateral extension 49 which rests upon or is integral with the broadened extension 30 of the feeler slide and is provided with a pair extending studs 50, 51. A spring 52 w ich is coiled about the stud 50 and anchored at one end upon the stud 51.

has a free end 53 which engages the side of the straight portion 42 of the lever and normally retains the same out of position to engage the end of the transmitter actuating lever 17 as is illustrated in full lines in Fig. 2.

In the operation of the feeler mechanism herein disclosed the straight end 42 of the lever 39 is normally maintained in position to pass the end of the transmitter actuating lever 17 as is illustrated in Fig. 2. Upon each beat up of the lay the filling upon the filling carrier engages the end 30 of the feeler slide and forces the same forwardly against the action of the spring 38, the end 42 of the lever 39 passing by the end of the transmitter actuating lever 17. When, however, the filling upon the filling carrier approaches exhaustion, the extended curved or arcuate surface 41 of the offset end of the lever 39 engages the wall of the shuttle or of the shuttle box, as the case may be, causing the. lever to rock upon its pivot and, as the layers of filling are removed, gradually move the end of the straight portion- 42 thereof toward the side of the lever 17 until finally, when the filling carrier is depleted to a predetermined point, the end 42 engages the lever 17. As the lay beats up further and the slide 23 is forced forwardlythe transmitter actuating lever is rocked on its pivot and operates the transmitter to position the latch 9 in the path of the weft hammer 10. The movement of the weft hammer thereupon rocks the controller shaft 8 and initiates the action of the transferring mechanism in the usual manner. By thus causing the end 42 of the lever 39 gradually to move toward the critical position in which it engages and actuates the transmitter operating lever 17 a more accurate control is obtained and the wastage of filling thereby reduced.

It will be understood that the transmitter actuating lever 17 may be so constructed as to operate upon the knock-01f lever to eflect the stoppage of the loom or to actuate such other usual mechanism as may be desirableto effect a change the operation of the loom. While the pivotally movable member is illustrated herein as adapted to engage the wall of the shuttle or of the shuttl box it will be understood that the member having the curved engaging portion may be constructed to act upon the filling within the provided with an extended curved surface adapted to be engaged by means carried by the lay and as the filling upon the filling carrier approaches exhaustion gradually to rock said lever about its pivot and means operable by said lever When the same has been rocked to a predetermined critical position to effect a change in the operation of the loom.

2. Feeler mechanism for looms comprising a feeler slide having a filling engaging end portion adapted to enter the shuttleand engage the filling mass upon the filling car- 'rier therein, a member adjustably mounted vupon said feeler slide, a lever p1votally mounted upon said member to osclllate in a horizontal plane, said lever having a laterally projectin end portion provided With a curved extended surface adapted to be engaged by means carried by the lay and as the filling upon the filling carrier approaches exhaustion gradually to rock said lever about its pivot and a spring carried by said member and adjustable therewith acting normally to maintain said lever in inoperative position.

.3. V Feeler mechanism for looms comprising a feeler. slide having a longitudinal central slot, a bridge extending over said slot and having a. slot lying above the slot in said slide, a stud adjustably mounted in the slot in said bridge, a lever pivotally mounted upon said stud having a laterally extending end portion provided with a curved surface adapted to be engaged by means carried by the lay, upon a predetermined depletion of the filling upon the filling carrier in the shuttle, and rocked about its pivot and means operable by said lever When so rocked to effeet a change in the operation of the loom.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ONESIME LANDRY. 

